ABC's 'Raisin' Finally Sees the Sun

The world of television will be in for a rare sighting of one of its most endangered species later this season: a pair of somewhat prestigious made-for-TV movies on a broadcast network not called CBS.

ABC, which develops telefilms only sporadically these days, has set airdates for two high-profile projects in the 2007-08 season. "For One More Day," the latest film from the "Oprah Winfrey Presents" banner, will debut Sunday, Dec. 9. The network has also scheduled its long-gestating adaptation of "A Raisin in the Sun" for Feb. 25, the day after ABC's Oscar telecast.

Given that it's scheduled for the day after the Oscars, which will provide a big promotional platform, ABC appears to have confidence in the movie.

"We are honored to have brought a new movie version of 'A Raisin in the Sun' ... to a new generation of viewers," executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron say in a statement. "We are humbled by our formidable cast and are very grateful to [ABC chief] Steve McPherson for giving us the coveted slot on the night after the Oscars."

"For One More Day" is an adaptation of Mitch Albom's novel; Albom also wrote the screenplay. It centers on a has-been baseball player (Michael Imperioli, "The Sopranos") who's about to commit suicide, but is granted one more day with his late mother (Ellen Burstyn), who shows him a way to redeem himself.

Aside from CBS' "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentations and the occasional Winfrey-backed project at ABC, broadcast networks have largely abandoned highbrow (or even middle-brow) original movies in recent years. CBS has found some success with its Jesse Stone series, but for the most part made-for-TV films are now the province of cable.